Forspoken has failed to meet Square Enix’s expectations in terms of sales. And the game’s alleged production budget indicates that the company is unlikely to recoup its investment.
How much money could Square Enix spend on Forspoken?
The Japanese publisher hasn’t disclosed Forspoken’s budget. However, the figure appeared on lead writer Allison Rymer’s LinkedIn page (spotted by TweakTown).
In the Above section, she wrote about her work on the game, saying that she “spearheaded the story behind Forspoken, which costs over hundred million dollars to make.” When describing her work at Luminous Productions, Rymer once again described Forspoken as a “fantasy AAA video game ($100,000,000+ budget).”
This information is still best taken with a grain of salt as it is coming from one of the game’s creators rather than official sources within Square Enix.
Last week, MST Financial senior analyst David Gibson shared his own estimate of Forspoken’s production budget. He said the game cost more than ¥70 billion (around $75 million) to make, adding that “most of that likely to be written off.”
Forspoken cost more than Yen10bn to make, with most of that likely to be written off. That is significant when company wide profits are close to Yen50bn! https://t.co/8zKUzAJrI5
— David Gibson (@gibbogame) March 10, 2023
What did Square Enix say about Forspoken?
- On February 3, Square Enix released an outline of financial results briefing for the three quarter ending March 31, 2023.
- The company noted that Forspoken sales “have been lackluster”, adding that it poses a “considerable downside risk” to the company’s full-year revenue.
- Last month, Square Enix also disbanded Luminous Productions, which will now merge with other teams within the company.
